Apparatus for plating sheet metal



Sept. 14, 1948. H. SEBELL 2,449,329 APPARATUS FOR PLATING SHEET METAL Filed Feb. 13, 1946 ZSheets-Sheet 1' Sept. 14, 1948. H. SEBELL APPARATUS FOR PLATING SHEET METAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 13, 1946 Haway @Meii,

l atenteci Sept. 14, 1948 2,449,329. errana'rns iron PLATING snnn'r METAL Harry Sebell, Wilmington, Mass, assignor to Bell Products Corporation, Boston, Mass, a corpora: I tion oi Massachusetts Application February 13, 1946, Serial No. 547,236

This invention relates to a machine for coating sheet metal with tin or some other metal coating, and it is in the nature of an improvement on.

the devices shown in my former Patents 2,267,877, December 30, 1941, and 2,370,495, February 27, 1945.

The device illustrated in said patents comprises a tin pot containing the molten tin, a relatively large feed roll or drum submerged in the molten tin and around which the sheet metal passes as it is fed through the tin bath, and means to heat the roll or drum thereby to supply additional heat to the sheet metal while it is passing through the molten tin, and also to supply heat directly to the mass of molten tin at the points where the sheet metal enters and leaves said mass.

In the device of said patents, the drum or feed roll is provided with the trunnions which are journaled in the side walls of the tin pot. It has been found that one disadvantage of this construction is that there is apt to be a leakage of the molten tin around the bearings for the drum, and it is one object of the present invention to provide an improved construction which will eliminate all probability of such leakage.

This end is accomplished by employing a stationary cylindrical drum in place of the rotating drum or feed roll of my prior patents, which stationary drum is welded or otherwise secured to the walls of the pot in such a way that there is no possibility of any leakage at the points where the stationary drum is thus secured to the walls of the pot.

Associated with the drum is a sleeve which encircles said drum and is free to turn thereabout, and means are provided for rotating the sleeve about the drum.

The sheet metal which is to be tinned is led into the pot and passed around the sleeve and in contact therewith, and since the sleeve is in contact with the heating drum, such sleeve becomes heated and will thus supply heat to the sheet metal which is in contact therewith. The turning movement of the sleeve about the drum serves to assist in feeding the sheet metal forward in the same way as was done by the rotating drum of my prior patents above referred to.

In order to give an understanding of the invention, I have illustrated herein a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described, after which, the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a 2 (Claims. (or. 91. -12.6?

machine for tinning sheet metal, embodying my invention and taken on theline l-l, Fig. 2.

Fig.2 is a section on the-line 2-2, Fig. 1. In the drawings, 1 indicates a tin pot contain.-

ing molten tin or other molten coating metal,

said pot being heated from any usual external source of heat such as shown in my abovementioned patents, but which is not illustrated herein. This pot is provided with the usual partition element 3 which extends downwardly from the top of the pot to a point somewhat below the level of the molten tin 2, thereby forming on the entering side of the tin pot a flux box 4 containing flux 5, and also forming on the discharge side of the tin pot a chamber 8 adapted to contain palm oil or some other suitable oil I.

Situated within the tin pot I and preferably entirely submerged in the tin bath 2 is a cylindrical drum element 8 which is internally heated. This drum element is a stationary element and is rigidly secured to the end walls 9 of the pot I. For this purpose, each wall 9 of the pot has a supporting block ll) welded thereto as shown at H and the ends of the drum 3 are shown as welded to the supporting blocks Ill as indicated at I2. In this way, a perfectly tight non-leaking joint is provided between the ends of the stationary drum 8 and the end walls 9 of the tin pot The drum 8 is hollow, and means are provided for internally heating it. While any suitable means for this purpose may be employed, I have illustrated herein a gas burner element 13 which is connected to a gas supply pipe l4, said pipe extending through an aperture [5 with which one of the supporting blocks i0 is provided.

Surrounding the drum 8 is a sleeve 'll6 which is loosely mounted on the drum and is: capable of turning about the drum. Such sleeve is shown as having a gear ll rigid therewith, which meshes with and is driven by another gear 18 mounted on a driving shaft l9 which is supported in suitable bearings Ell carried by one end wall of the tin pot.

2i indicates the strip of sheet metal which is to be tinned. This strip of metal enters the tin bath through the flux box 4 and passes through the flux 5 therein, and thence is shown as passing between guide rolls 22 and around and in contact with the exterior of the sleeve [6, said strip 2i emerging from the tin pot through the oil chamber ii and through the bath of oil I therein. If desired, either squeeze rolls such as shown in my Patent #2,267,877 or oil jets such as shown in my Patent #2,370,476 may be employed for IE! drum of either of my above-mentioned patents;.

Since the sleeve I6 is being. positivelyrturneda said sleeve also acts as meansifoi' assistirigzin feeds;- ing the strip through the tinpot The present invention, therefore, has all the advantages of the device of my:priorrpatents buttit provides a construction which eliminates any" possible leakage of tin from the tin batti because- 7' of the fact that the end-\ walls of the stationary drumil aretsecuredto therend wallseof -thetin potby a none'lakin'g connection suchaasseis provided by the weld-ing 'of Zthe end Twa-lls'of-the drum tort-he satiricrting. v block-s I0 and the? welding ,or; said blocks toxth'e -end wallsr9 ofrthe tin pot.

1-z machine fen coatings metal comprising a pot for containing molten tin, a stationary drum submerged in the mass of molten tin, means for heating said drum, a sleeve encircling the drum and with which the sheet metal to be plated has contact, and means to turn the sleeve on the drum, thereby to assist in feeding the sheet metal through said tin bath.

I 2r;A n'rachin'e for tinn ing-z'sheet metal comprisingaa pct res containing-.molterr tint a stationary drum submerged in the mass of molten tin, the end walls of said drum being welded to the end wallsof the.pot,,means for heating said drum, a sleeve encirclingtlr'edrum and turnable thereon and with' which rthe sheet metal to be plated has =contact;asLitapasSes:through the pot, and means t'trfitiirn' the sleevet'on the drum, thereby to assist in rfeedingr; thesheet metal forward.

HARRY SEBELL.

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